Born in Thailand and raised in Southern California, it was while working at Barneys that Lim realized his call to fashion. After relocating to New York, Lim and and business partner, Wen Zhou, debuted 3.1 Phillip Lim in 2005. They agreed on 3.1 Phillip Lim for the company name, because they were both 31 at the time. 3.1 provides cool, easy, chic looks with a youthful elegance and an unmistakable signature style.